


what would I do without you at my side?

by Set_Suna



Category: Rust (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Breaking and Entering, Gen, Gun Violence, Hurt/Comfort, No Beta We Die Like Wilbur in Skyblockle, Panic Attacks, Sickfic, based on the new sbi and co. rust server
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-13
Updated: 2021-01-13
Packaged: 2021-03-18 05:33:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,669
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28738059
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Set_Suna/pseuds/Set_Suna
Summary: He closed the door behind him quietly when he left, determinedly pushing out into the snow. It was layered a few inches thick on the ground, going past his ankles. He was able to get them good work boots, which he was incredibly thankful for, so it wasn’t too much of a bother. He decidedly avoided the dome, not needing the radiation it came with right now. He needed to make this trip as quick and as uncomplicated as possible. Tommy needed that medicine and some solid food in his stomach, and Wilbur desperately wanted to be there with it when the kid woke up.
Relationships: Wilbur Soot & TommyInnit
Comments: 22
Kudos: 411
Collections: SBI Family Feels





	what would I do without you at my side?

**Author's Note:**

> so listen. I did not expect to be so into the new Rust stuff but god I have been thinking about it. It's got so much good potential and I am here for it.
> 
> ON THE GUN VIOLENCE TAG: It is never fired, it is used as intimidation and for threatening purposes. If this makes you uncomfortable or anything like that, I recommend not reading or at least skipping over the story from when Wilbur returns home to when Tommy calls for him. Stay safe!

Winters were harsh, Wilbur knew that. Cold temperatures and bad weather would wreak havoc on the house, and he desperately needed to start setting traps before everything went into hibernation. He definitely couldn’t leave Tommy alone anymore, or else he’d probably freeze himself to death. Luckily, they’d gotten the fireplace installed before the true turn of the seasons, so their home wasn’t terribly cold. He’d gotten Tommy to harvest some heavier material so he could make them thicker clothes. All in all, they seemed pretty prepared for winter, except on the food front. Wilbur knew how big of a problem that was, and he really understood it one painful morning as the cold was finally starting to set in. It had snowed recently, and the temperature had dropped significantly with it. Snow covered the trees and the dome in a way that would be beautiful if it weren’t so deadly.

They’d taken to sleeping in the same bed. It was a lot warmer that way, and Wilbur could tell it helped Tommy in the long run. Since some of their worse interactions with the others, he didn’t sleep as well as he once did. Some nights were fine and Wilbur found him sleeping peacefully in the morning. Some nights he slept fitfully, and sometimes Wilbur would wake up to hear him tossing and turning. Then some nights Tommy ended up in his bed anyway, kept up by nightmares and the fear that people would burst through their door with the intent to kill. Wilbur preferred to keep Tommy close, knowing that way he could at least be of some help. 

This morning, Wilbur woke up to shifting beside him. Tommy was squirming uncomfortably in his arms, groaning in his sleep. It woke him up quickly, to say the least. He pushed himself up, trying to keep himself as calm as possible. 

He felt it almost instantly. Tommy was incredibly warm. Half of the sheets were shoved away and tangled in his legs, and a thin sheen of sweat covered his forehead. Wilbur pressed the back of his hand to Tommy’s forehead, already expecting the heat pulsing from it. Tommy was very, very sick. Wilbur hurried downstairs, grabbing a rag and soaking it in water before climbing the stairs. Thinking about it, he didn’t know if he had what he needed to take care of this.

Reaching the landing, Wilbur saw Tommy struggling to sit up. Bleary blue eyes met him and immediately Tommy teetered his direction.

“Wilbur-” Tommy started weakly, interrupted by a painful sounding cough that nearly knocked him back. 

Wilbur hurried to sit beside him, holding him upright until he was done. “It’s alright, Toms. You can relax, you’ve got a pretty nasty fever.”

He gently pushed Tommy back down against the bed, brushing the hair from his forehead and laying the rag across it instead. Tommy’s fingers limply found their way into his, and Wilbur held on tight. 

“But we… But we have to get more food, right? Before everything goes away,” Tommy mumbled deliriously. 

“You’re right, we do, but you can’t go outside like this,” Wilbur told him softly. “I don’t think you could stand on your own if you tried.”

“Are you gonna leave me?” Tommy asked quietly, fear obvious in his tone. 

Wilbur squeezed his hand tightly. “We need something to eat, Toms, I can’t just feed you anything. There’s medicine at the bandit camp that’ll help, too.”

“I-I don’t wanna be alone.”

Wilbur’s heart hurt in his chest. He sincerely didn’t want to leave Tommy alone, either, but he couldn’t take him with him and he needed to get them supplies. He slipped his hand from Tommy’s to stand, failing to ignore the small whimper that escaped his little brother. He moved to the fridge, shushing him quietly. He retrieved a bottle of water and Tommy’s communicator from the research table before sitting right back down. He laid the water bottle at Tommy’s side and pressed his communicator into his hand. 

“You can call me if you need anything-- and I mean anything, Tommy. For now, you should go back to sleep. I’ll be back before you wake up,” Wilbur assured him, running a thumb across Tommy’s cheek. 

Tommy leaned into the touch, melting Wilbur’s heart more than he thought possible. He shakily raised a hand, pinky held high. “Promise?”

Wilbur smiled softly, linking his pinky with Tommy’s. “Promise.” 

Tommy nodded, seemingly content, and curled back under the blankets with his communicator held to his chest. Wilbur glanced around, snatching the guitar from the end of his bed and quickly checking the tune. He began to strum a slow tune, humming along quietly. He did so until he could tell Tommy’s eyes were closed and would be for a while, his chest gently rising and falling. Wilbur sat the guitar back in its place and took the rag from Tommy’s forehead. He quietly got dressed, preparing to head into the cold and the snow. 

He closed the door behind him quietly when he left, determinedly pushing out into the snow. It was layered a few inches thick on the ground, going past his ankles. He was able to get them good work boots, which he was incredibly thankful for, so it wasn’t too much of a bother. He decidedly avoided the dome, not needing the radiation it came with right now. He needed to make this trip as quick and as uncomplicated as possible. Tommy needed that medicine and some solid food in his stomach, and Wilbur desperately wanted to be there with it when the kid woke up. 

Wilbur was frightened by a lot of things on this island. His few interactions with Hycei and Krinios were enough to make him understand they needed to avoid them. There was always the threat of the men in the helicopters, always watching and waiting for the time to strike. There were numerous wild animals that could and would kill if provoked. The elements were not exactly with them here, and that was something they always needed to keep in mind. Tommy’s first experience with the radiation poisoning from the dome was not a memory Wilbur liked to revisit. 

Somehow, they survived. They had friends in Ranboo, Jack, Callum, and Tubbo. There were always new resources to find and drop crates from whoever knew they were stuck here. There were multiple ways to get food, and Wilbur was fairly certain they wouldn’t starve during the winter. Things were the barest amount of okay. It didn’t stop Wilbur from picking up the pace when he started to trek down the hill towards the bandit camp.

The wooden planks barely suspended above the water were covered in a thin layer of brown slush. People still had things to buy, even in the harshest of weather. The waist high water was frozen beneath the raised bridges. Hopefully the cold and water wouldn’t make them collapse beneath his feet. Wilbur stopped to buy the medicine for Tommy first, trading a fair amount of his rarest scrap for it. He didn’t care. The dent in his materials would be worth it. He tucked it deep in an inside pocket of his coat, somewhere he was sure he wouldn’t lose it. He ventured through the camp, buying enough rations to last them a few weeks. He also purchased a thicker blanket and a few more bullets, intent on being prepared for anything. 

He took solace in the fact that his communicator hadn’t buzzed yet when he was nearly halfway back. It most likely meant that Tommy was still asleep. That was good. It also meant that no one else had any trouble with the weather. That was good. Winters were always hard. This one was definitely no exception. He started to see the dome in the distance and instinctively picked up the pace. Tommy was waiting.

Wilbur trudged up the hill to their home, watching his breaths puff out like mist. He lifted his head as he reached the top, smiling at the sloppy “We ♡ Dome” sign hanging unevenly on the front facing wall. It’s only when he looked to the door his heart stopped. The green light on the lock was on. The door wasn’t locked. Why wasn’t the door locked? Did… Did he really forget to lock the door? Wilbur nearly dropped his things as he sped forward. 

He slung open the door, feeling the rush of cold air hit his back as he ran inside. There were stains of melted snow across the floor, and Wilbur felt the deepest fear he thought imaginable when he saw they led towards the stairs. He pulled his pistol from its place on his hip and charged up the stairs. He swore to any gods that still bothered to look down on them, if anything had happened to Tommy-

One man stood in the room, hood pulled over his head and scarf wrapped around his mouth so it wasn’t visible. He was knelt before the chest at the foot of Tommy’s bed, rummaging through their materials like he owned the place. Tommy was still asleep, by some higher being’s grace, and Wilbur was sorry for what he was about to do.

“Hey, shitface, what the fuck do you think you’re doing?” he announced himself angrily, his pistol leveled at the man’s chest. 

The man turned quickly, rising to his feet and raising his hands. “Hey-Hey man, there’s no need for that.”

“I think there is, considering you’re in the process of robbing my house,” Wilbur growled, tensing his shoulders. 

“Look, the door was open and-and it’s fucking cold, man, just lower the gun!” the man exclaimed.

“I’m doing no such thing. What you’ll be doing, though, is leaving anything you may have stashed in those grubby pockets of yours and getting out of my _god damn house,_ ” Wilbur threatened, raising the pistol just a bit higher. 

“Okay, okay, just… don’t shoot,” the man complied shakily.

Wilbur watched carefully as the man slowly reached into his pockets. He let his finger rest comfortably on the trigger, in case he had any funny ideas. The man pulled out a few materials, some cans of food, and a box of bullets. He set them all on the floor slowly, hands visibly shaking. Wilbur, quite frankly, didn’t give a shit. His eyes flickered to Tommy for just a second, and it was only then did he start to regret his actions at all. Tommy had woken up silently. He stared with wide, teary eyes, as Wilbur pointed a gun at a man neither of them recognized. Wilbur temporarily blocked the image from his mind as the man stood straight, hands still in the air. He gestured with his pistol towards the stairs.

“Get on with it, then,” he said angrily. “Get out of my _fucking_ house!”

He watched and followed as the man sped down the stairs. He flew out the door into the snow and Wilbur didn’t hesitate to lock the door behind him. 

“Wilbur?” Tommy’s voice came tearily from upstairs. 

His stomach dropped. God, he’d just held a man at gunpoint in front of his sick little brother. He ran upstairs, dropping his bag and the pistol and falling on the bed, immediately bundling Tommy in his arms. He felt him trembling in his grasp, whether it be from sickness or fear, Wilbur didn’t care. He just wanted to make it stop.

“I’m sorry, Toms, I’m _so_ sorry you had to see that,” he apologized profusely, words muffling as he hid his face in Tommy’s hair. 

“Wil, how- Why-Why was he here? How did he get in?” Tommy asked panickedly, fingers gripping the back of Wilbur’s coat tightly.

“It’s my fault he broke in, Tommy, I’m so sorry for leaving you here all alone,” Wilbur rambled, his fear finding its way out through his words. He exhaled and tugged Tommy closer. God, he was so _stupid._ Why didn’t he check the door before he left? Why did he leave Tommy _alone?_

“Do-Do we have to leave? I-I don’t- Wil, I’m scared,” Tommy admitted through hiccups. 

“No, we’re-we’re okay. We don’t have to go anywhere,” Wilbur told him, running a hand up and down his back. “I’m right here, no one’s going to hurt you.” 

Tommy’s breath hitched on a sob. He cried into Wilbur’s chest, sick and terrified. Wilbur pretended the tears dripping from the tip of his nose weren’t there, whispering assurances and promises of safety to Tommy. His own voice was trembling as he fought the urge to cry, because he couldn’t break down. He needed to be strong. Right now, it was the one thing he absolutely had to do. He had to be a strong older brother for Tommy. And right now, Tommy was sobbing in his arms, scared out of his wits and delirious with fever.

“Tommy, darling, can you listen to me? Can you focus on your breathing?” Wilbur asked softly, pushing down his emotions for a moment to speak clearly. 

Tommy inhaled sharply, but nodded. Wilbur helped walk him through it, controlling his own breaths to give him something to mirror. He combed his fingers through Tommy’s hair as he began to calm, no longer sobbing his heart out. He still latched onto Wilbur like his life depended on it, and Wilbur felt guilt burn in his stomach like acid.

“Good, Toms, you’re alright,” he eased, sighing shakily as he felt the adrenaline start to fade. He leaned away slightly and took Tommy’s face in his hands. He wiped the tear tracks away with his thumbs, smiling down at him warmly when he looked up to meet his eyes. “There you are. Everything’s all right now. It’s just us, just like always.”

“O-Okay,” Tommy sniffled, nodding slightly. He took another shaky breath and looked around, eyes landing on Wilbur’s bag abandoned on the floor. “Did you-Did you get everything?” 

Wilbur smiled. If he was glad for anything, he was glad for how much Tommy trusted him in this moment. He said, “Yeah, yeah I did. Are you hungry? Should I make something?”

Tommy paused, thinking, and nodded again. Wilbur nodded in turn, twisting around to grab his bag from the floor and settle the strap over his shoulder. 

“We’ll both go downstairs while I cook something up, how does that sound?” he asked.

“Sounds good,” Tommy mumbled, tiring now that he was on the decline of panic.

Wilbur chuckled as he slid his hand under Tommy’s knees and picked him up. “You can’t fall asleep before I even start. You have to take this medicine, too, then you’ll be feeling better in no time.”

He got a hum of dismissal in response. He carried Tommy downstairs, sitting him down on the small sofa in front of their fireplace. He pulled the thick blanket from his bag, draping it over Tommy’s thin frame before he got to work on lunch. 

His hands were still shaking as he opened some of their newly acquired canned foods. He could ignore it for now. He could focus on making sure Tommy was fed and on the way of beating his fever. He could worry about the effects of this experience on the both of them later. Living through today was most important. They could recuperate and heal tomorrow, hopefully when Tommy was more coherent. 

He left the food to simmer above the fire and hurried to grab a water bottle from upstairs. He shook a pill from the new bottle of medication and made sure Tommy swallowed it before letting him doze on the sofa. Wilbur curled up next to him in the meantime, watching the fire crackle and feeling Tommy’s steady breaths at his side. Wilbur wrapped his arms around Tommy’s waist and tugged him into his lap. He tilted his head down and placed a kiss on the top of his head. Tommy nestled against his chest and Wilbur thought maybe, just maybe, things would turn out okay.

**Author's Note:**

> E I sure did cause problems on purpose
> 
> I appreciate any and all comments/kudos/bookmarks you choose to leave! 
> 
> You can follow my [tumblr](https://quibbels.tumblr.com/) for fic updates and my [twitter](https://mobile.twitter.com/quiblii) to see more stuff from me!


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